School choice tax credit would divert $10 billion from federal revenues

Like many Americans this summer, I’ll be heading to a football stadium to see Beyoncé deliver two hours of magic on her Cowboy Carter Tour. I paid a premium for those tickets – and I’m OK with that. It was my choice – not something I can deduct from my taxes or expect to be federally subsidized. 

That’s the way it should be.

The same goes for my guilty pleasure: “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” I don’t mind watching the antics of one of America’s most famous (and wealthiest) families, but I’d never ask taxpayers to help fund their children’s private school tuition.

Instead of helping students in underfunded schools, measures like the ECCA divert public dollars to families who already have access to private education. (iStock)

And yet, some in Congress think that’s precisely what we should do.

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A proposal quietly tucked into the House GOP’s reconciliation package, part of what’s being marketed as President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” would give wealthy individuals and corporations a 100% federal tax credit for donations to private school scholarship funds. 

This proposal – the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) – effectively allows wealthy donors to turn tuition into a tax write-off.

That’s right. This plan, currently before the U.S. Senate, would allow billionaires to “donate” to their kids’ private schools – and then receive every cent back in tax relief, at the expense of American taxpayers. 

This is not a small-dollar program. The measure could siphon more than $10 billion away from federal revenues, funds that could otherwise strengthen our nation’s public schools.

Now, I don’t think Blue Ivy Carter or North West needs our help getting into elite institutions. However, the backers of this bill, such as House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, have argued that it’s primarily about helping working-class students escape “low-performing” schools.

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“It will encourage more individuals and businesses to invest in our children’s futures,” Stefanik said, “by establishing a 75% federal tax credit for qualified charitable contributions made to nonprofit schools with proven success.”

That sounds good – until you look at the evidence.

In practice, measures like ECCA have the opposite effect. Instead of helping students in underfunded schools, they divert public dollars to families who already have access to private education.

We’ve seen it happen in more than 20 states, where private schools receive more than $1 billion each year through similar tax credits, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. A 2023 report in St. Louis Today revealed that most students receiving vouchers in Missouri were already attending private schools, while only 35% came from public schools. 

In other words, this isn’t about opportunity. It’s about entitlement.

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Every year, public schools educate nearly 50 million students – more than 90% of the nation’s children. These taxpayer-funded institutions have produced extraordinary alumni, including the CEOs of Apple, Walmart and the majority of Fortune 500 companies. 

Public schools are where kids learn how to live and work in a diverse democracy. They’re not perfect, but they are essential.

Educators know this better than anyone. A 2024 Pew Research Center survey of more than 2,300 public school teachers found that most feel underpaid, under-supported and under-resourced. 

Respondents also reported a deep commitment to their students and their profession. More than half of these educators said they wished the public understood the difficulty of their job. Teachers across the U.S. are clear: students don’t need more “choice” – they need more investment.

As one Kentucky educator told the Louisville Courier Journal earlier this year, “If lawmakers actually stepped into our classrooms, they’d see what we’re doing with so little. Give us more counselors, working air conditioning, and reading specialists – don’t hand tax breaks to people who already have advantages.”

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These educators are on the front lines. They’re not asking for handouts. They’re asking for fairness – and for policies that reflect the real needs of public school communities.

It’s worth noting that the original pitch behind voucher programs – dating back to the early 2000s – was to help low-income families in struggling urban districts. But decades of research have shown that voucher students don’t perform significantly better in reading or math than their public school peers. 

Meanwhile, the programs have drained resources from the very schools most in need of help. That’s not reform. That’s abandonment.

The concept of “school choice” has become a catch-all for undermining public education without explicitly stating so. But make no mistake: this is a wealth transfer in disguise, and ECCA is its latest vehicle.

As a son of immigrants and a proud product of public schools, I know firsthand what public education can offer. I’ve seen how classrooms can unlock potential and teachers can change lives. 

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I’ve also seen what happens when we neglect those systems and call it innovation. This isn’t just bad policy. It’s a betrayal of the American promise.

Let’s be clear: families have every right to choose private or religious schools for their children. But they shouldn’t expect the rest of us to foot the bill. Tax dollars should be allocated where the need is greatest – schools that serve all students, regardless of their ZIP code, income or background.

At a time when the country feels increasingly divided, our public schools are one of the few places where kids from every walk of life still come together. That’s something worth protecting, not defunding.

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Or, to borrow a phrase from Queen Bey herself, what’s happening with this bill is more than just a bad idea. It’s a requiem for the American ideal.

Let’s not let it play out.

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